Page 277 - Discrimination at Work The Psychological and Organizational Bases

COLELLA AND STONE
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reactions to affirmative action can provide a model of how to go about
conducting this research.
In conclusion, we agree with Hahn (1996, p. 42) who wrote
"... paternalistic sentiments about disability may actually tend to dilute the
effectiveness of antidiscrimination laws." Writing from a political science
and legal perspective, he notes that people rarely display the outward hos­
tility and bigotry toward disability policy issues that is displayed toward
policies concerning other minority groups. Rather, the public and courts
seem to take a paternalistic stance toward disability issues and therefore
feel that stringent legal protection from discrimination is not really nec­
essary. We believe that by ignoring the issue of paternalism in workplace
discrimination, we may be ignoring one of the major roadblocks to suc­
cessful integration of people with disabilities into the workforce.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

Data from labor economists clearly indicate that discrimination against
people with disabilities in the workplace still exists and has not been greatly
ameliorated since the ADA (1990). Yet we know relatively little about how
this discrimination manifests itself, what causes it, and consequently, how
we can reduce it. Psychological literature aimed at understanding these
issues is still in its infancy. As indicated in our review above, what research
has been published is inconclusive and somewhat scattered, focuses mainly
on selection decisions, relies heavily on laboratory studies with student
respondents, and focuses primarily on cognitive explanations for disability
discrimination, which may not be the most useful paradigm to follow.
Recently, research has begun to go beyond these limitations (cf., Colella &
Varma, 2001). However, there is still quite a way to go.
Examining disability discrimination poses some unique challenges in
comparison to other types of discrimination. As discussed earlier, one such
issue focuses on defining disability from both the observers' and actors'
perspective. Different disabilities may result in differential level of dis­
crimination, different responses (e.g., empathy versus anxiety), and have
effects that vary by context and culture.
Second, we believe that additional research is needed to examine disabil­
ity issues from a multiple stakeholder point of view including the perspec­
tives of (a) individuals with disabilities, (b) coworkers and supervisors, (c)
organizations, and (d) the larger society or community. Most research in
this area has focused on how coworkers and supervisors react to people
with disabilities, ignoring the role of people with disabilities in their own
interactions and organizational and cultural norms.